It's certainly one of the few places I've ever visited where my over active logical mind is quiet.
As other people reach the top, hang around for a while admiring the view and then return back down, I can sit and just be for what seems like hours.
It does seem though like many of us are seeing life like an uphill struggle at the moment - without the beautiful view at the top acting as our motivation.
In this post I share a metaphorical means of obtaining different perspectives to the uphill struggle.
If you're tried more conventional means of shifting the struggle you may want to try this more unconventional technique.
It's a little longer than my usual posts but just like the view it's worth the extra few minutes.
Many years ago I noticed that when I was struggling that my mind wasn't always my friend.
Despite being proud of my ability to solve problems and my quick analytical mind it didn't always help.
Instead of trying to support me it's was if my mind found more and more evidence to reinforce my struggle.
My mind seemed to enjoy running rings around the part of me that wanted to diminish and to find solutions to the struggle.
That's when I discovered how to bypass my mind and communicate with an older, wiser part of me through metaphor.
It is said that while our mind talks in words and logic that our inner wisdom talks in metaphor. Why else do all cultures convey great truth through fabulous stories.
Our language points to where we'll find the solution
Our language is rich in metaphor particularly when we're struggling, and often uses nature's landscapes to describe how we're struggling.
What I have discovered is that those very landscapes also have the solution contained within them, and so we can look to nature to help us find different perspectives.
Which means:
- When you can't see the wood for the trees you'll find solutions in a real wood
- If you're going round in circles drawing or walking the circling will diminish its hold
- When in need of turning over a new leaf finding some old leaves to turn will help
- If you want to turn a corner in your life going out and turning a corner in nature will shift how you're feeling
- If you're finding it an uphill struggle a hill may provide all the insight you need (as we will discover very soon)
- If you're stuck in a rut in your life finding a rut in nature can help shift your mindset as it did for a management team who used this technique on a vision setting day
- If you've got your head in the sand ..... (and yes that's me 🤣)
You need an example you're feeling like it's an uphill struggle about
Please trust me when I say that reading the following instructions are going to leave you cold and flat without a real life situation to apply them to.
Think of a situation, therefore, that you could apply the words "an uphill struggle" to.
Notice what score you'd give the situation out of 10 - where maximum ease is 10, and maximum struggle is 0.
Put the situation you're struggling with to one side
It's important when using metaphor that we don't try to make sense of every perspective immediately.
The aim is to explore the metaphor, in this case the hill, until we've fully exhausted all possible perspectives.
It's only once we have a gorgeous list of different perspectives, and potential metaphorical solutions, that we start to try them on for size to the real life situation.
If we jump in too early it's a little like poking a newly sown seed to see if it's started to grow yet - we're undermining it's ability to flourish.
Patience is key.
Play around with the words
One tangential technique involves playing around with the words just to loosen their hold, and I'm sharing it first because it can be a really quick way of helping you feel more resourceful.
Might you therefore instead find it could be a:
- downhill struggle
- downhill success
- downhill toboggan
- uphill stroll
- uphill climb
- uphill surrender
- uphill reducing struggle
- upstairs struggle
- up mountain struggle (to which my response would be - climbing mountains is rarely without struggle. It's like you can never see the forest for the trees even if you can try to see the wood for them!)
- over the hill and far away
- when you're half way up you're neither up nor down (from a song from my childhood)
- up the hill to get a pail of water (ditto)
Let's explore that hill - what's your goal?
The first question I'd ask is 'do you need to get to the top of the hill?'
Perhaps you already have got as far as you need up the hill?
Remember stick with the metaphor and imagine the hill you were struggling with. It certainly doesn't need to make sense just yet.
Is your goal to get to the top of the hill, to get over the hill, around the hill or something else entirely? (I've certainly discovered when we can't see the wood for the trees that it's often about our relationship with paths and destinations rather than the wood and trees!)
Do you have guides or fellow travelers?
Are you alone or walking the hill with your dog or other people?
Are they helping or hindering?
What would be more helpful for you as this time to help with your uphill activity?
Take time to consider your answer to these questions. It's this internal exploration that may find that one insight that is the difference that makes the difference.
Develop your plan to achieve your goal
Once you're sure of your goal in relation to the hill you can write a lovely list of what you'd need to do to achieve that. For example:
- If the hill was just in the way of you getting to some other destination would a map help you to plot a better route?
- You might be carrying or pushing something heavy and need other people to help you, or to put it in or on something with wheels to make it easier to move?
- Or perhaps you need to break it down into smaller more manageable parts (eg 4 uphill strolls might be better than 1 uphill struggle)?
- You may need better preparation for your uphill activity with sturdier boots, or a flask of tea or something stronger!
- To understand the weather forecast and set out when the conditions are right
- Wait until the spring, or
- To get fitter to be able to walk the hill more easily at some point in the future
Can you make it even easier?
One of the benefits of imagining your hill, rather than when you're in nature, is you can play around with your image.
You have the power and control to draw the hill differently.
Try it for yourself:
- Draw the hill as you imagine it
- Add yourself to the hill
- Add other components to depict the current situation
Remember - it may already have shifted as you've tried other of the suggestions above.
Now make changes to your drawing:
- Make the hill shorter, or with easier gradient
- Add steps or paths
- Or a signpost
- Is colour important or not?
- Would adding a sound track help?
- place yourself at the top already having done what you need to do to get there
- and so on
I love that the sun came out.
Any other metaphorical insights?
Before returning to the real life situation is there anything else that comes to your mind?
No right or wrong - honour any thought and allow it to be expressed at this time.
What does it mean in practice?
Having kept the real life situation at bay it's now time to think about it.
As you've been working metaphorically with your inner wisdom you may just notice that you've moved closer to 10/10 on the ease continuum and just feel different about the situation and that is enough.
Alternatively, now you've got some different perspectives, you may want to identify an action plan in order to resolve the situation.
Which might, although don't feel constrained by these suggestions, include:
- breaking the task down into more manageable chunks
- asking others to help
- waiting until you are able to achieve the task
- stop trying so hard
- stop trying with this hill and start another activity
- or something else entirely
- can't see the wood for the trees
- are stuck in a rut
- are going round in circles
- are out on a limb
- feel like a fish out of water
- are treading water
- are up the creek without a paddle
- are making mountains out of molehills
- have your head in the sand
- being in the flow headed for the ocean
